You Are What You're Named
by Arwenmina
Summary: Warrior or Changed. It's Treepaw's choice. After all, you are what you're named...One-Shot.


_You are what you're named_

"Darkpaw, do you accept your change, Or do you wish to become a Warrior?"

Darkpaw's choice was to either be a Changed, or a Warrior.

"I-I choose," He gulped, and every cat and changed one was still. "I choose to be a Changed"

"Brightstar nodded, and looked up, into the sky. "Starclan, accept Darkpaw as a Changed! Darkpaw, from now on you shall be known as Darkbranch!"

Brightstar, the almost blindingly bright yellow furred she-cat, touched her nose to Darkbranch's, and stepped back as his fur stared to mix and change color. Fernshadow, a green she-cat who's fur look as if a shadow was cast over it, gasped in surprise. Darkbranch's once black fur was now dark brown, with patches of green, and his eyes were an unusually large size- and yellow!

His paws were larger, along with almost all the rest of his body. His ears had, well, shrunk! His tail was a bob, and his teeth felt different! Brightstar turned and entered her den, leaving the rest of the clan in almost-darkness, for Dimheart's dull light created small spots of light. Batclaw, a fuzzy dark brown Changed with small, black eyes, gave a high pitched squeak of surprise.

"Back to your dens, everyone!"

The voice of Thunderheart, Wildclan's deputy, rang throughout the camp. The gray and white tom had chosen to be a warrior, not a changed.

The cats and the changed padded to their separate dens. It was strange, Darkbranch no longer had to stay in the dark, moldy apprentice's den. He followed Flametongue, a bright orange she-cat who's tongue matched her name just as much as her pelt, into the full grown Changed den. Heavyboulder, a huge dark gray tom, who was, well, not the brightest cat in Wildclan, settled down in his nest, half blocking the entrance.

Darkbranch squeezed past the muscled tom, still not used to his larger body, and settled into a nest.

"That's my nest, son."

Darkbranch glanced up to see Redfur. His bright red pelt gleamed in Dimheart's light. His blue eyes looked strange, compared to his pelt. Darkbranch was about to pull out of the nest when there was a yowl from outside. He was squashed down as Changed thundered back out. He groaned as Heavyboulder crushed his tail.

"Wolves!" "Help!" "The Nursery!" "Get Brightstar!" and then a long howl. Darkbranch struggled out of the den and found himself face-to-face with massive silver wolf. He leaped forward, smacking his paw as hard as he could on the wolf's nose. It staggered back in the surprise that a puny green and brown changed would dare to attack him.

Flametongue, Redfur, Lightening, a bright gold rogue who had joined the clan a few moons ago, Song, Lightening's sister, and Rock, Song and Lightening's brother, all attacked the silver wolf.

Darkbranch surveyed the clearing, silently thanking Starclan, for there were only three wolves. He then threw himself at the silver wolf. Darkbranch raked the wolf's nose, but his claws barely touched skin. The wolf was equipped with such thick fur..!

The wolf snapped at Flametongue, and she bright orange she-cat loosened her grip on the wolf. The silver wolf shook Flametongue off and crushed her under it's paw. Darkbranch yowled in anger and dug his claws into the wolf's left eye, and then the right, and then he bit the wolf's nose. The wolf howled in pain and collapsed, writhing.

A huge black wolf fled the camp, howling, and the other two wolves shook off their attackers and followed. After that, it was a blur. A small gray she-kit named Flowerkit had been killed, Darkbranch was whisked through the medicine cat den, and into a freshly made nest.

A long while later most cats and changed were asleep, but not Darkbranch. He lay awake in his nest, pondering the fight.

_"Sleep, young one. For there will be much to do tomorrow."_

A tail seemed to brush his flank, and Darkbranch drifted to sleep.

Maybe, just maybe, he would some day be leader or deputy or...to late. He was in the soft, dark, cushioned land of dreams.


End file.
